


Just rest

by Silva_13



Series: You deserve all the happiness [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Related, Caring Fíli, M/M, Modern AU, Sick Kíli, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9462692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silva_13/pseuds/Silva_13
Summary: After two weeks of work and family duties Kili is looking forward to finally spend the weekend with his boyfriend and nothing can get into his way. Really nothing?This is a fill for the FiKi WinterFRE2017 prompt Nr. 86: "Hiding an injury / pretending not to be coming down with a cold (and getting taken care of anyway)"





	

**Author's Note:**

> This one happened when I actually attempted to write ["A person's value"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9381671). I sat down and started to write and suddenly there was ... this. I hope you'll enjoy!

The afternoon sun shone through the bedroom window and hit Kili’s closed lids, causing him to wake up. Fuck, why had he forgotten to close the blinds? Before he could wonder why his head pounded like it contained a base-drum and his throat felt as if its tissues had turned into sandpaper, he had to bend over with the explosive force of a violent sneeze. And then another and another. 

Oh fuck, that wasn’t good. He needed a paper tissue. NOW! After searching through the sheets and on his night stand he saw himself forced to get up and find one in the kitchen. He was accompanied by more sneezing on his way.

After finally finding a box of Kleenex he blew his nose, feeling the burn on his skin, already sore from wiping it periodically during his last night shift. 

_Holy shit, I’m really coming down with something!_

He had probably worked too many night shifts in a row. That was never good for one’s health. And the garden work he had done in the rain for his adoptive father two days ago hadn’t been of any help either. 

Being a paediatric nurse had made his immune system strong and he hardly fell ill. So when his throat had started to scratch during the last night’s shift he had shrugged it off. Even when his colleague Tauriel had voiced her concerns about his runny nose and his loss of appetite, an absolutely unusual thing for Kili, he had ignored her, stating it was just a little cold and surely gone after some hours of sleep. Her suggestion to rest and cancel his weekend plans had been set at nought immediately.

Feeling cold, Kili changed into sweatpants and a warm hoody, but was still freezing when he wrapped himself in a blanket and settled on the sofa with a mug of tea. His throat hurt like hell and he sighed deeply, provoking a painful coughing fit, which left him breathless and wheezing. 

He couldn’t afford to be sick, not now. He had been working for the last eight nights. Before that, he had done several evening shifts. Altogether he hadn’t seen Fili for more than two weeks and that was not how their young relationship would grow. Of course they had texted each other and talked over the phone, but Kili missed his gorgeous blond terribly and had been looking forward to their next date all week.

They had planned to meet that evening for dinner and perhaps a movie, for it was Friday and they both had the weekend off. When his head threatened to explode after another attack of forceful sneezing, he eventually considered to text Fili to call everything off. 

No, that was absolutely out of question! He couldn’t let him down. It was because of _his_ job that they hadn’t seen each other for so long. It had been _him_ who had accepted the three extra nights and it had been _him_ who had helped out his dad with his precious garden, for Bilbo had broken his wrist. 

All that had been time consuming, time he could have spent with Fili, but hadn’t. Surely the blond would be already fed up with his excuses. The image of Fili, thinking of him as a whiny and pathetic wimp, who complained about trifles like a runny nose, would be even worse. And if he begged off again he might leave him for good. They only had met three months ago, but Kili had quickly been head over heels in love with the handsome elementary school teacher. He definitely would do everything in his power to keep his boyfriend. With luck he could even convince Fili he wasn’t sick at all, pretending it was just an allergy or something like that. And if that meant to go on a date stodged with painkillers and cough syrup, then it had to be. Sneezing again, he thought that it might be also a good idea to bring along nasal spray. And paper tissues, lots of paper tissues. 

The only problem was his medicine cabinet, as it was empty save for some sleeping pills, so he would have to make a detour to the next pharmacy before meeting Fili. Looking at his watch he noticed that it was time to get ready anyway.

Getting up took more effort than he had imagined, since his muscles and joints ached with every move and he was hit by a dizzy spell, which forced him to sit down again.

_Why is it so fucking cold?_

Shivering, coughing and sneezing he was eventually able to get up. After changing again he went into the bathroom to tame his unruly mane. Looking into the mirror turned out to be a mistake. How the hell could he face Fili looking like that? Or make him believe he was not ill?

He was deathly pale, having dark rings and bags under his eyes. His dripping nose was swollen and bright red. He still felt dizzy and when he brushed his curls even his hair roots seemed to hurt. The pressure behind his burning eyes and forehead had increased, his ears hurt and it felt as if his whole head was stuffed with cotton wool. And he was freezing. All-nurse he opened his mouth and inspected his throat in the mirror, only to notice it was as blazing-red as his nose.

_At least my tonsils are not swollen. As I said, it’s just a little chill!_

And with an especially volcanic sneeze he left the bathroom and two minutes later, dressed in his warmest coat and wrapped in a thick woollen scarf, his flat. 

~~~

The ice-cold air in the staircase irritated his lungs and nose massively. He didn’t come very far, only a few steps towards the stairs when he was hit by a severe coughing fit, only interrupted with similar racking sneezes. He could barely breathe and the world spun around him. Again his head wanted to explode with pain and everything seemed to lose its colours and turned grey. No, he would not let anything come between him and Fili tonight, not even that stupid cold. He had to go on.

He could hear a person coming up the stairs, but couldn’t see who it was. He had to lean against the wall to not lose his hold while he still cough-sneezed violently. Weren’t the stairs close to him? And with that thought he realised that he had lost his balance and was about to fall down.

Before that could happen, strong arms were wrapped around him and a voice called his name. It sounded familiar, but was too far away to be recognised. His head was swimming and when he opened his eyes his sight was blurry. At least the sneezing and coughing had stopped for the moment.

He blinked a few times and looked in a well-known face. It was actually his absolute favourite face in the world, but right now the crystal-blue eyes looked worried and a little taunting.

“F-Fee?”, Kili croaked and winced at the pain in his throat, when Fili coaxed him into a sitting position with his back to the wall. He sniffed loudly, searching through his pockets for a tissue, but got one handed from the blond. 

“Thagg you!”

After blowing his nose loudly and probably for the fivehundredth time this day, Fili spoke.

“Tauriel certainly didn’t exaggerate. What the hell are you doing outside?”

“I was about to see you. Our date, rebemba?”

Fili couldn’t help but chuckle at Kili’s nasal pronouncing, but turned all serious again when his words settled in.

“You can’t be serious! Kilian Baggins, I just found you half choking and almost falling down the stairs! You are in no shape to leave your bed, let alone the flat. You can’t possibly think we’re going out tonight.”

When Kili’s face twisted with hurt he hurried to ad, “instead we’ll stay inside and I’ll take care of you!”

The brunet wanted to protest, for he didn’t want to spoil the evening for his boyfriend, but another coughing fit hit him and he had to turn to the side. No way, he would spray his germs in Fili’s beautiful face!

“’m fine”, he wheezed, “just a ‘lil allergy, nothing to worry about. He tried his best to look cheerful, but the next bout of coughs ruined that expression, which hadn’t been very convincing anyway. 

“I don’t know, what you’re intending, but this is definitely no allergy. You have a really bad cold and belong to bed. No backtalk!”

“Fee, really … I…I’m okay.” 

Another sneeze and a noisy nose-blowing later Kili knew pretending to be not sick was in vain. The serious and slightly scolding frown on Fili’s face was enough to realise he had lost the battle. He sighed.

“I have to go to the pharbacy, I beed basal spray ad tissues … add …”, another strong sneeze interrupted his congested babbling, “… by head is killig be.”

“I have everything here”, Fili said, pointing to a paper bag Kili hadn’t noticed before. “Paper tissues, nasal spray, coughing syrup, painkillers and some other stuff. Let’s get you inside before you catch your death.”

Kili didn’t have the strength to argue and let the blond help him up. Once inside, Fili walked him to the sofa, wrapped him in a blanket and provided him with a tissue box and the promised nasal spray, which helped a little with the congestion. While Kili blew his nose again, the blond put a hand on his forehead, frowning.

“You’re burning up, have you taken your temperature?”

Kili shook his head, looking a little embarrassed. He sniffed miserably and mumbled, “I’ve got no thermometer.”

“Thank God, I brought one too, Open your mouth!”

And Kili, though full of questions, did. When Fili took the device out not two minutes later, the brunet lost no time.

“What are you doing here anyway? We were supposed to meet at Bombur’s. Why did you come to my place fully equipped to face a flunami?”

“Because it seems I actually have one in front of me.”

He wanted to continue, but instead handed Kili another tissue since the brunet was again shaken by a heavy sneezing bout. He wrapped an arm around Kilis shoulders, trying to keep him upright. Finally it stopped and Kili let himself fall back on the pillows, panting and sniffling. 

“Tauriel texted me when your shift was over this morning. She said, you were coming down with a cold. When I didn’t get a cancellation text from you, I was worried you might want to meet despite being sick and so I came to look after you. Apparently it was the right thing to do, as you are running a fever.” 

He showed him the little screen of the thermometer, indicating that Kili was close to 39 degrees. Fili frowned worriedly. He knew that his boyfriend always tended to shrug everything off and even now he could see how uncomfortable Kili was with Fili taking care of him.

“I’ll make you some tea and run you a bath. Look, I also brought a bath additive for colds.” 

When Kili tried to protest FIli shushed him with his index finger quickly laid over his mouth.

“I know I don’t have to do this, but I want to! Just stay here and rest.”

Kili obeyed, feeling too weak and achy to even move a finger. Apparently, he really had caught a doozy of a cold.

Fifteen minutes and half a tissue box later, he lay in his tub with a cold bath-soaked washcloth on his face, inhaling the steam. Fili had gone out again, promising to bring back chicken soup, while Kili was in the water. Although he could breathe through his nose a little and the headache had lessened, thanks to the pills Fili had brought, the brunet felt very poorly. His eyes burned and every part of his body ached. 

Of course he would never tell Fili. The blond deserved his free time after a hard week, not a whiny sniffling boyfriend, complaining about those little ailments. Pretending to feel better and sending Fili off for the weekend would be best. The possibility of the blond being fed up with him was just too threatening. 

And so Kili climbed out of the tub and wrapped himself into his bathrobe. Standing on his wobbly legs was difficult and when he made the first step, the colours drained from the world again and the edges of his vision went black. When the dizziness hit, Kili tried to get a grip on the sink, only to knock the soap dispenser down to the floor. His unsuccessful fight to keep himself upright failed ultimately when he fainted and his weakened body slumped to the ground. 

The door was pushed open just seconds later and Fili stormed in, for he had heard the crashing sound right after entering the flat. Kili, who slowly regained consciousness, blinked bewilderedly.

“What happened?”

“I … dunno, I felt dizzy and I think I collapsed.”

“You shouldn’t have gotten out of the tub alone, I’d helped you.” Wrapping an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders he added gently, “Come on, let’s get you to bed. I’ll clean up later. Be careful with the shards.”

~~~

The worry hadn’t left FIli, even after Kili was safely tugged in. The illness really shook the brunet to the bones, the cough and terrible head cold did not give him even a minute’s rest. He was still freezing and he could see the pain he was feeling with every motion. Pulling up the duvet up to his ears had not been a good idea, since his nose had another opinion and Kili needed his hands free to use one Kleenex after another. So he had fetched the blanket from the sofa and the woollen scarf to wrap around his boyfriend while the duvet only reached his chest. He looked deadly cute, even with his red nose and puffy face. But the reluctancy towards being cared of still had him wondering. Kili was clearly feeling bad and still tried to play it down.

Filli cupped his cheek and smiled affectionately.

“How are you feeling?” 

Gifting him with a weak smile, Kili answered, “I’m way better, still a little under the weather, but…”

“A _little_ under the weather? Honestly? Kili, you’re seriously ill. Indeed, I thought about calling a doctor and you still try to make me believe everything is fine and you don’t need any help? Fuck, you fainted in the bathroom. You almost fell down the stairs. You can barely hold your tea mug!”

He immediately regretted his outbreak when he saw Kili shrinking. More gently he added, “Anyone can get sick, it’s not your fault.”

“I just don’t want you to get sick, too. I’m probably highly contagious.”

“Let that be my concern. I’ll be careful.”

“But you should enjoy your weekend, having some fun. Being stuck in here with me is out of the question. I can imagine better activities for you than making tea and collecting used tissues.” And with a sad whisper he added, “I don’t want to be a bother.”

Fili stared, speechless. When Kili didn’t meet his eyes but looked down into his lap, the blond racked his brain. He was only an elementary school teacher not a psychologist, but a vague idea was forming in the back of his mind 

“Kili?”, he asked carefully, “I can’t imagine Bilbo put those ideas in your head, as I picture him a very caring and loving Dad. But you had been adopted when you’d been already seven, so … uhm … what happened in the orphanage when you got sick?”

Kili felt embarrassed, had that really been that obvious? He hated to talk about the time before his adoption, but yet he had told Fili the truth about it from the beginning, so why not now? 

“Nothing really bad”, he mumbled, already wiping his nose again. “We were just not allowed to complain. We’d get scolded and, if we whined a lot, we wouldn’t get any food. The worst was the ‘infirmary’. It was a dark and cold room, we got frightened there. When we tried to leave it, Ms. White would lock the door and we had to stay there for hours. She didn’t like us being ill and crying. She said we were annoying and … a bother.”

Once again Fili’s heart went out to his boyfriend. It pained him that he had to endure such cruelty as a little boy. He had not deserved that, no one had. Fortunately the brunet had found Bilbo. The blond was startled out of his thoughts, when Kili started to cough again. The sound was wet and his face was torn with pain. Fili rubbed his back and hoped to help him with that. Soon the fit subsided, but his breathing was still rattling.

“Kili, you’re the most selfless person I’ve ever known. You care about everyone beside yourself, so let _me_ do that for you. You are not a bother to me. On the contrary, I was looking forward to spend the weekend with you. You may be bed-ridden, but that doesn’t restrain us from cuddles and watching films. I take care of everything and you will rest in the meanwhile. Do you think that’s an option?” 

Kili was still hesitating, but couldn’t deny the feeling of immense relief and so he nodded. And then he was again racked with a coughing fit.

“C’mere, I’ve brought inunction for your chest.”

“I’d rather have you amputate my nose”, Kili sniffed after another sneeze, but Fili declined.

“First I rub your chest, then I’ll make you soup. And after that you should probably just sleep.” 

Fili smiled fondly, all bright eyes and dimples, something that made Kili feel a little better.  
When he came back with another steaming mug with tea and the chicken soup, Kili tried to sit up, but was way too weak. He was barely able to hold another paper tissue when he sneezed again, let alone the spoon. In the end the brunet lay in bed, upper body propped up on a mountain of pillows, while Fili fed him the soup with the spoon and made him sip his tea while holding the mug for him. 

Thankfully the freezing had stopped some time ago, but Kili felt more dead than alive. He could barely move, even if he had wanted to. His limbs weighed tons and the burn in his eyes had increased. He dozed off and when he woke up again, Fili had provided him with a cold washcloth on his forehead. He held a glass with a straw, demanding Kili to drink. The taste of soluble aspirin hit his tongue.

“You’re still burning. Sleep now. I’ll just go find another duvet and join you.”

“No Fee … I …” Another sneeze deterred Kili from finishing his sentence. 

“I’m literally sneezing my head off, we probably won’t close an eye…”, and as if to proof his point another bout of coughing hit him, followed by another couple of heavy, very wet sounding sneezes. 

“And I’ll be snoring for sure.”

Fili didn’t like the idea of his boyfriend sleeping alone while being so ill, but had to admit that he was probably right.

“Ok, I’ll take the sofa then. But if I can be of any help, don’t hesitate to wake me. And no, _you_ sleeping on the sofa is not an option.”

~~~

Kili was proven right, for he spent the night tossing and turning around in his bed. Falling asleep was impossible, as the body-racking bouts of coughing and sneezing kept him awake. Despite using the nasal spray he could scarcely breathe through his nose and he was alternately freezing to death or burning to ash, at least it felt this way. But he didn’t call for Fili, since there wasn’t anything what the blond could do for him in that situation.

Nonetheless, when Fili entered the bedroom the next morning, Kili was fast asleep. Only a heap of dark hair was visible, for the rest of the brunet was buried under the duvet. As predicted, he was snoring loudly, but Fili didn’t mind. His boyfriend desperately needed rest and he wouldn’t wake him.

~~~

Kili woke up around noon to another body-wrenching coughing fit. The sheets were drenched with sweat, his head pounded with pain and his nose was running. Noticing the empty box of tissues he tried to call for his boyfriend, but started immediately to cough again. The door opened quietly and Fili’s concerned face appeared. 

Twenty minutes later he had settled everything. The sheets were changed, Kili had showered with Fili’s help and was now clothed in a fresh pyjama, but the fever really had taken its toll on him. The worn out brunet lay in bed with his back resting on the pillows with his eyes closed, a fresh cool cloth on his forehead. For he was too weak to properly sit up, he stayed put, only to lift his arm exhaustedly from time to time to intercept a cough or sneeze with a tissue. It was a heart-wrenching sight, but there wasn’t anything Fili could do about it.

“I’d hoped I’d feel better by today”, Kili croaked weakly, his voice so hoarse that the words were barely audible.

“Babe, colds don’t disappear just over night, especially not that particular stinking exemplar you’ve caught here. I’m sure you’ll feel better as soon as your nose stops erupting every minute. But at the moment you have to bear with being a snot volcano.” 

Kili chuckled and then coughed again. 

“I can’t remember I’ve ever been that sick. I hate that you had to see me like this, all puffy and snotty. I can’t imagine a more unattractive sight than me being a sneezing and sniffling mess. It certainly doesn’t help with winning the heart of the man you fancy”, Kili pouted, then sneezed and cursed loudly, only to be punished with another sneeze. 

While he blew his nose, Fili smiled widely, eyes full of affection and love.

“Is that what you’re intending? Winning my heart?”

Kili nodded and peeked out carefully from behind the tissue.

“Obviously, my nose has other plans.”

“Kee, you already _have_ my heart. I was already on cloud nine after our first date and you won’t get rid of me so easily. And speaking of most unattractive sights. Is it really necessary to remind you of that bloody food poisoning I caught after three weeks of dating? You had to hold my hair back during the entire night!”

“Yeah, you were really ill then.”

“And you are really ill now. See? And it didn’t scare you off, so why would I be put off by a little bit of snot?” 

For the first time in two days Kili smiled. Really smiled, complete with all sparkling eyes and flashing teeth. That kind of smile that made Fili’s stomach flip, that gave him sleepless nights and, to be honest, wet dreams as well. 

He took the brunet in his arms and pulled him into a sitting position, supporting him with pillows. The cloth fell down and their foreheads touched. For a moment they only sat there in silence, drinking in the other’s presence. Then Fili spoke again.

“Kilian Baggins, I am really. Head over heels. Hopelessly. In. Love. With. You!”

Kili saw in Fili’s eyes, sickness all forgotten, and whispered, “I’m in love with you too. Teeth-rottenly, madly in love.”

They leant in towards each other with their noses brushing. But before they could kiss Kili suddenly pulled back.

“F-Fee, I’m sorry … I … have ... to … have to … “

Fili pushed the tissue box towards him and Kili took one, just in time to cover his nose before another explosive sneeze made him bend over.

FIli chuckled and helped his sick boyfriend to lie back down. He took the washcloth, wetted it anew in the little bowl on the nightstand and placed it carefully on the brunet’s forehead, who was sniffling miserably.

“I will shower you in kisses when you are back to health, but for now it’s washcloths and tissues for you. Just rest my love. Just rest.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please, visit my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/silva-13) and say hi.


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